"Well?" Josef's voice was cool, calm, expectant.

Raising my chin up a notch, I gave him a steady look. Whatever I did, I couldn't freak out. "Well what?"

One of his eyebrows rose a disdainful couple of inches. "Let me guess: You volunteered to do the spring cleaning? Oh, wait, it's September."

"And observant too," I shot back. The shower was still running, so I still had time to do damage control. "What's it to you?"

He took a step towards me, and I had to force myself not to take a step back. I couldn't stop my back from stiffening though, my hand tightening around the gun I was still holding. I clicked the chamber back into place. "Oh, I don't know," he was saying, a dangerous kind of sound blending into the mix. "You're snooping around my best friend's apartment, after he's opened up his home to you. What does that make you exactly?"

Asshole, I thought, hating his guts. Still, he kind of had a point. It probably wasn't cool to be snooping around Mick's space. Not that I'd admit it to this jerk. "God, Josef, drama queen much? I was checking out his bookshelf, 'cause it's cool. How was I supposed to know I'd find Van Helsing's stash?"

A muscle jerked in Josef's jaw. "The last time I checked, going through someone's personal belongings without the benefit of their permission qualified as snooping. Rebuttal?"

Honestly? I was just totally making this all up as I went. Talk about being caught with your hand in the cookie jar. But I had no choice but to jump in, start swimming, and hope I didn't sink. For some weird reason, I wasn't scared. Not really. No matter what happened, Mick wouldn't hurt me, or let me be hurt. The worst case scenario, I could throw myself on Mick's mercy, tell him the whole truth. It was a last resort, but comforting anyway. The shower upstairs shut off.

"Look, not that it's any of your business, but I wasn't snooping. I was looking at Mick's Steinberg collection, going through it. I guess I must have been really bored, but hey. Mick never said I couldn't touch his books. I noticed something was weird with the panel, and when I was checking it out, it came loose. I thought I broke it, then saw the gun. So I pulled it out and looked at it. Big deal." He'd said nothing while I improvised, and I forced my rate to stay slow, relaxed, making sure I sounded more pissed than anything. I put my free hand on my hip, rolled my eyes. "Happy now?"

I couldn't tell if he believed me or not. He just kept…looking at me. It was really creepy. Geez, did this guy need to blink or what? I used the excuse of putting the gun away to look away without losing face. Finally, he broke the quiet, gesturing to the discarded books. "So, these were what you were interested in, hmmm? Funny, it looked to me like they were more in your way than anything else."

"You know what I think?" I didn't give him time to answer. "That you need to get a life, because if this is all you have to do, you're sad."

His eyes flashed, but he otherwise ignored my observation. "You were looking for something, Leni, and I want to know why."

"Yeah? Well, you can shove-"

"What's going on here?" Mick's voice filled the room, and I jumped a little. He was halfway down the stairs, dressed in blue jeans, and a dark green button down shirt. His hair was still wet and tousled from the towel, and his shirt was clinging, indicating he hadn't dried off that good. He was watching us both, his eyes on the gun I'd just put away. The look on his face was closed off, and my stomach lurched. I was probably more bothered by Mick's reaction than Josef's. I could handle him, but the idea that I'd disappointed Mick, violated his trust, was almost as scary as missiles and hit men.

Before Mr. Charm school could put his little spin on events, I repeated the version I'd given to Josef, not able to look at Mick, too afraid that he'd be pissed. "Before I could put it back, he was all in my face, launching the Spanish Inquisition, 2.0."

Mick came down the rest of the stairs, put the panel back. It was one of those mornings you just wished you could hit 'reset.' Too bad life didn't work like that. Before Mick could comment one way or the other, or I could think of something else to say, Josef was opening his big mouth. "Maybe she was looking for the safe."

"Meaning?" I hissed, wanting to punch him right in the mouth. Or maybe somewhere a lot lower.

"I think you understood me fine," he countered. I glared at him, so mad I could scream, almost forgetting Mick was in the room.

"Enough," Mick ordered firmly, moving to stand between us. He turned in my direction, running a hand over his face. "Josef and I are going into the office for a minute. Stay in here. Feel free to skim." He gestured to the forgotten Steinbeck collection, my alibi. I couldn't tell if he was mad at me or not, but at least he was getting Josef out of my face.

Before he left, Josef gave me a look. I can't say it was threatening, exactly. If I had to peg it, I guess the message he was trying to send was 'I'm keeping my eye on you. This isn't over.' I just waved, smiling sweetly. What I really wanted to do was flip him off, but Mick probably wouldn't have appreciated the gesture, and I wanted to keep him on my side as much as possible.

After they retreated to the privacy of the office, I put the books back, not about to do any more exploring. The more I thought about it, the more I was thinking Josef was a vampire too. He was too sneaky, too paranoid not to be. And how about him not even commenting on the silver bullets, like that kind of thing was normal? Uh-huh, say no more.

A few minutes later, Mick came back in, minus Josef. Not a big loss, as far I was concerned. He must have gone out some other way. "You ready?" he asked me. He was acting okay, so I could only guess he wasn't majorly pissed. He grabbed a pair of sunglasses, and put them on. I reminded myself I needed to go out and buy a pair myself.

"Sure." We headed out, and I kept waiting for him to bring up this morning's drama. "Um, look, about what happened-"

"You must have questions," Mick interrupted.

"Well, the silver bullets were kind of weird," I said honestly. "What's up with those?"

"I'm a bit of an eccentric," Mick drawled as we got into the elevator.

"Oh, you hunt werewolves?" I was aiming for light, and think I hit the right note. "Talk about your extreme sports."

"Very funny." About ten seconds later, the doors opened, and we stepped out of the elevator, into the garage. "If you must know, they were a bit of an inheritance."

"Really?" I guess it was his turn to be making it up as he went along. Still, he had this calm, rational way of explaining it, and he sounded so sincere. You know, I would have totally bought it, if I hadn't been otherwise aware. Mick used it to hunt his own kind, if necessary, I was sure of it.

"Well, the gun and the bullets. My grandfather was staunchly Catholic, maybe even fanatical, especially in the twilight years of his life." Mick opened the passenger side door for me. I slipped inside, listening to the story I was being fed. "He became increasingly superstitious, believing in all kinds of crazy things…including vampires and werewolves." He laughed softly, shaking his head. "I know, I know. My mother didn't have the heart to have him put away, but a lot of people thought he should have been. He had the bullets made, and kept his gun loaded with them, just to be safe, I guess." Mick settled in the driver's seat.

"Weird. Some grandsons get a car…you got the werewolf hunting gear." I flipped my hair behind my shoulders, pretending to mull over the so-called truth I'd just heard. "Well, that explains that. Look, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to have my hands all over your stuff. And whatever your buddy thinks, I was not looking to lift anything."

"Don't worry, I set him straight," Mick promised me apologetically. Oh, too bad I'd missed that. "I know Josef comes off-"

"Like a creep?" I supplied helpfully.

"Abrupt," Mick substituted. "He's an acquired taste, trust me, but-"

"Once I get to know him, I'll love him?" I made a gagging noise.

Mick laughed, starting the car, and pulled out of the garage. "I wouldn't go that far." The top on the Benz was up today, protecting us, especially him, from the hot sun. It had to be about 90 degrees out, and it was barely 11:00. I just hoped autumn cooled things down soon. "More like, you'll get used to him."

"Maybe," I allowed, but I doubted it. "Hopefully, it won't be an issue. What?" I couldn't help but get nervous over the weird look on Mick's face all of a sudden.

"I really hope you and Josef can learn to get along," he told me. His expression was hard to read with his shades on, but from I could see, he looked like he was in mild pain.

"Why?" I asked suspiciously.

"It'll make everyone's life easier." Okay, that sounded ominous.

"Why?" I repeated, and I could feel my eyes narrowing. Mick didn't answer for a long minute, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Somehow, I doubted it was because he had a full bladder. "All right, that's it. What's going on?"

Mick hesitated, and I could all but hear him think 'aw, what the hell?' "Because you two will be interacting on a regular basis." It took a few seconds for that little bombshell to sink in. I kept my mouth shut for a minute, for two reasons. One, we'd just hit heavy traffic, and he needed all the concentration he could get maneuvering his car through it. Second of all, if I spoke too soon, I might start yelling.

"Oh, really?" I forced myself to say calmly. "Any particular reason, or are you just starting your own reality show?"

"Okay, I can tell you hate the idea-"

"Gee, ya think?" I couldn't help but shoot back. "He's a jerk, and that's being nice about it."

"Will you let me finish?" he asked with strained patience. I crossed my arms and shrugged, looking out the window, watching the other cars. "As I was saying, I know you hate the idea. He's not too crazy about it either, but I hope you two will act like grown adults and not sulking five-year olds."

I was only half listening. I was thinking about what Mick had said earlier, about maximum security and maximum luxury. Josef seemed like he was rich, and he was more paranoid than an insecure wife married to an Italian. Did Mick actually think I was going to move in with Josef? What was he smoking?!

"Josef's running the safe house?" I demanded. I knew my voice went kind of shrill, but I couldn't help it. "Are you crazy?"

"It's been suggested," Mick muttered. "Look, before you have a meltdown, will you please listen to me?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Mick sighed, long and loud, taking a hand from the wheel to massage his temple real quick. "Leni, think of the big picture. After this trial's over, you'll be on your own. The D.A.'s office is understaffed and under-funded. They'll try to do right by you, but being strapped for cash and all…" he trailed off, letting me get the picture on my own. "I can protect you, and I will, but I can't do it 24/7. I've got to work and sleep."

I sighed. I know Mick wasn't trying to put me on a guilt-trip, but damned if it wasn't working. Besides, where else did I have to go? I was among the ranks of the unemployed. "Just the little things, right? All right, so you think Josef's going to play bodyguard # 2? Please. He'd rumple the designer threads. Oh, horrors!"

Okay, Mick definitely had to suppress a smirk at that one. "Josef has security that he pays a less than small fortune to see to stuff like that." We pulled up in the parking lot of the DA's office, and I braced myself. I'd come a long ways, and the worst part wasn't even over yet. Suddenly, I felt like I was a hundred. "I think we should table this discussion for now, don't you think?"

"Fine by me. One headache at a time." I didn't wait for him open the door for me, it's not like my hands were broken. I was anxious to get out, get in, and get this over with.

Ten minutes later, we were seated in DA Lindsay's office, both Mick and me in deep cushioned leather seats. Directly across from us, behind his desk, DA Lindsay was sitting. Instinctively, I took Mick's hand, trying to steal a little bit of his strength, that kind of stoic thing he's got going on.

"You had us scared, Leni," DA Lindsay's telling me, his smile friendly.

I bite back a sarcastic retort that it wasn't exactly a picnic for me either, but force myself to remember he's on my side. "Yeah, I know. Sorry."

"Thanks for bringing her in." He acknowledges Mick, his expression a couple shades cooler than a few seconds earlier. I can tell he's trying to play nicely, but there's no love loss in the room. Could the reason be blonde and blue-eyed? Duh.

"No problem," Mick says calmly. I snort, which has both of them looking at me.

"Sure, it was a breeze," I quip, which earns a chuckle out of Mick. "Wanna do it again?" Now Mick just groans, and the DA's kind of frowning. Not in a pissed way, but more thoughtfully, you know?

"Yes, I understand you two had a rough time. There are some things I'd like to clear up, if you two don't mind." Now I felt like groaning. He had 'the tone.' It's the tone the principal used to try on me when he was trying to get me to rat out someone, or one I heard Fayed use on Jack when he was being all sneaky. 'The tone' is never good.

Mick didn't look worried. Bored, maybe, but cool as a cucumber. "By all means." He gives my hand a squeeze; almost like he could tell that I didn't like the direction this was headed.

"Do you mind if I have this on tape?" The DA was quick to whip a recorder out. I had the feeling he was just asking to be polite. "We can have formal statements typed up from this."

"Fine," Mick assented, still not sounding worried.

"How did you know that the 'cop' wasn't legit?"

"You know, I asked him the very some thing," I announced before Mick had a chance to answer. "See, the jacket was all wrong. He wasn't supposed to be wearing one. Plus, the I.D. was total bunk."

"I see." DA Lindsay seemed to be processing that, his eyes sharp. Mick didn't add anything, just waited the guy out. "So your answer was to steal a patrol car?"

"I figured depriving him of his set of wheels would slow him down." Mick ignored the less than subtle hint of disapproval coming our way.

"Actually it's really a good thing we jacked that car, since Mick's ride would have been burned to a crisp, and that'd be heartbreaking, but it's a real classic." I don't know what possessed me to chime in with that, but sometimes my mouth starts running without my permission.

My random observation was ignored by both men. "How did you two survive the inferno?"

"We didn't stick around for the barbeque." Mick didn't add 'duh', but I could tell he wanted to. His expression matched. I giggled, I couldn't help it. For a second, the DA looked flustered but pulled it together fast.

"You two jumped out of a moving car without being detected?" Now he just sounds incredulous. Whether it's the fact we'd jump out of a moving car or we wouldn't be noticed, I'm not sure.

"More like briefly parked and quickly scooted," I corrected. Since Mick was yet to give me the cut-off signal, I figured he didn't mind me being a not-so silent partner.

"From the sky, all they were probably focusing on was the car itself. Visual wouldn't be great," Mick added.

"All right. Then what happened?"

"We went on a hike. We trekked through the desert a ways, and then we ended up in coach roach hell. At that point, Leni called Beth to give her an update." As Mick gave the severely edited version, I couldn't help but wonder what Beth had told her boyfriend. She'd never mean to out Mick, I didn't know her all that well, but I knew that. Still, what if she'd accidentally slipped on something small that could come back and bite us in the ass later?

The DA's eyes never left Mick, and I couldn't tell if sensed anything was being left out or not. Finally, he said: "Why did you call Beth and have her rush over? I mean, didn't you realize you could be potentially putting her at risk?"

"She's the only one we trusted," I hastily cut in defensively. "What were we supposed to do if we couldn't trust the cops?"

"Calling her wasn't the stupid part," DA Lindsay countered. "What was stupid was letting her drive out there. She should have called me, and let me handle the situation."

"You're right," Mick agreed calmly. "We were both stressed out and not thinking clearly. Hindsight really is 20/20, I guess."

"Didn't she call you?" I asked. It was my turn to give Mick's hand an encouraging squeeze. I could feel the tension in him. It had creeped up right after DA Lindsay mentioned the 'Beth' factor.

DA Lindsay looked uncomfortable. "Yes, and she mentioned she'd talked to you, but she didn't give me the details."

"Well, that's not really on us, then is it?" I didn't mean to sound bitchy, but seriously, was it our fault Beth had a mind of her own? You think he'd be used to it by now. "I'm just glad it worked out okay," I asserted, trying to remind everyone that there was a happy ending. Well, sort of. I mean, other than there being serious weirdness between Beth and Mick, and a complicated love triangle, a looming trial ahead, everything was just peachy keen. Oh, great, I thought. I just depressed myself.